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Home / News / Don’t adjust your monitor – this really is BlackBerry’s new phone

Don’t adjust your monitor – this really is BlackBerry’s new phone

BlackBerry reveals a trio of new phones, hasn't abandoned the keyboard yet

BlackBerry has revealed a trio of new smartphones, the most peculiar of which is called the Passport.

At first glance, it looks like a techno-sadist has sawn the bottom off a regular BlackBerry, but look closer and you’ll notice the illusion is all down to the keyboard.

The Passport has ditched the fourth row of the traditional BlackBerry keyboard by shifting the spacebar up, shrinking it, and placing it between the V and B keys. After spending hours glued to BlackBerry’s previous keyboards, we must admit it look positively alien to us.

The Passport, like the Q10, has a square 1:1 ratio screen, measuring 4.5 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 1440 x 1440. That’s a very respectable 452 ppi – more pixel-packed, for example, than the HTC One (M8)’s 441 ppi display.

Despite its smaller screen, the Passport is actually wider than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, measuring in at 2.8 inches across, compared to the Note 3’s 2 inch width.

It’s all rather bizarre, and we’re a little dubious as to how comfortable the new keyboard will be to type on, given its shallow makeover. We will of course reserve our judgement until we play with one in person.

In addition to the Passport, BlackBerry also revealed two other devices – the Z3 and Classic. Specs, release dates and prices for all three devices remain a mystery, but we’ll update you with all the latest information as and when we get it.

READ MORE: BlackBerry Q10 review

[BlackBerry via Pocket-lint]

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.